Tray construction and method of making same



June 7, 1966 F. c. SHlNA TRAY CONSTRUCTION AND MF fIHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Feb. 7', 1964 INVENTOR. FRANK C.SH|NA Qui s \Mmxs qwflfli ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,254,823 TRAY CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Frank Charles Shina, Floral Park, N.Y., assignor to United Board 81 Carton Corporation, New York, N.Y.,

a corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 343,341 3 Claims. (Cl. 229-31) This invention relates to disposable paper trays and the like, and more in particular to a leak-proof tray for liquid which is formed of metalized paper and which is adapted to be shipped and stored in flat condition and then erected at the point of use.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved construction of metalized paperboard or the like. A further object is to provide a paperboard structure which is adapted to be shipped and stored in flat condition and later erected into a tray or the like, for example, at the point of use. A further object is to provide an improved tray for liquids which is leak-proof and is disposable. A further object is to provide for the above with structures which are inexpensive, easily handled, sturdy, light in weight and sanitary, and which may be assembled by persons of limited training and experience. These and other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out below.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view showing the manner of production of tray blanks in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a tray incorporating the invention when partially erected; and,

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the completed tray.

Referring to FIGURE 3 of the drawings, a tray 2 is formed of metalizcd paperboard having side walls 4 and 6, end walls 8 and 10, and a bottom wall 12. The wall surfaces on the inside of the tray are metalized, that is, coated with an imperforate layer 'of thin aluminum which renders the paperboard impervious to liquids. The other side of the paperboard is uncoated. Tray 2'is formed from a flat sheet of paperboard or a blank 14 as shown at the left in FIGURE 1, which is out free from the adjacent identical blanks 16 and 18 along lines 20 and 22, respectively. In FIGUREl the portions of blank 14 which form the walls of tray 2 are given numbers corresponding to those of FIGURE 3. At the juncture of each of the side wall portions 4 and 6 with each of the end wall portions 8 and 10 there is an interconnecting web portion 24 which is a rectangular portion of the paperboard with a diagonal score line 26 extending outwardly from the corner of the bottom wall portion 12. There are also score lines at the juncture of each of the side wall portions with the bottom wall portion and with each of the adjacent web portions. Blank 14 also includes additional side wall portions 28 and 30 extending respectively along side wall portions 4 and 6 and separated therefrom by score lines.

Blanks 14, 16 and 18.are coated throughout the shaded surface with a self-adhesive, which is' a tacky, rubberbase adhesive which adheres to another surface coated in the same manner but which will not adhere to an uncoated surface such as metal or a metallic coating. It will be noted that blank 14 is not coated with adhesive throughout the portions which are to form the bottom and end walls of the tray and narrow strips of the adjacent edges of the side walls and webs; the entire wall portions 28 and 30 are coated and substantially the entire side wall and web portions are coated.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, tray 2 is formed by folding the blank along the respective score lines so that the side 4 and 6 and end 8 and 10 walls are at right angles ice to the bottom 12 and the metalized surface of the blank is on the inside of the tray. Also, each of the web portions 24 is folded along its score line 26 as shown at the right in FIGURE 2 to form a triangular double-walled web. The triangular double-wall web is then swung around against the adjacent side wallto the position shown in the left-hand end of the side wall 6 in FIGURE 2, the webs being held against'the side wall by the self-adhesive. When both of the webs are so positioned against side wall 6, the adjacent additional side wall portion 30 is folded downwardly over and against the webs 24 and the exposed outer surface of the side wall 6. The contacting surfaces are held together so as to provide the composite side wall of FIGURE 3. Thus, it will be seen that tray 2 of FIGURE 3 has laminated side walls of double thickness which are reinforced at the ends by the web portions. The top edge 32 of each of the web portions fits snugly between the folded wall portions 6 and 30. This provides sturdy top edges for the end portions of the side walls, and the end walls are also securely anchored to the side walls by the integral webs.

When tray 2 is erected as in FIGURE 3 the laminated side wall structures are sufficiently rigid to insure that the tray will withstand considerable abuse without objectionabledamage. Also, tray 2 is not readily punctured as may occur with trays of metal foil, and trays such as tray 2 may be more readily disposed of than foil trays, for example, by burning. Yet, trays manufactured in accordance with the present invention may be more sani tary than paper trays and may be maintained in sterile condition, either in blank form or when erected. In some circumstances the self-adhesive may be replaced by other types of adhesives.

As pointed out above, wall portions 28 and 30 are slightly narrower than the wall portions 4 and 6. When desired, these wall portions may be of the same width.

In FIGURE 1, a number of blanks are shown in the respective positions which they occupied during production. Assuming that the body of paperboard is moved in the direction from the bottom to the top of FIGURE 1, the body is coated with the self-adhesive throughout specific strips, and the intermediate strips are left uncoated. The only waste ma-terial'in production is a relatively small square at the adjacent corners of the blanks. After production the blanks are stacked, but they do not adhere together because the self-adhesive of each blank is in contact with the metallic surface of another blank.

What is claimed is:

1. A disposable tray construction formed from a cardboard blank having a coating upon one surface which is impervious to liquid and which forms the inner surface of the tray, said blank having a bottom portion with side edges defined by hinge lines and side wall portions connected to said bottom portion along said hinge lines whereby each side wall portion is folded upwardly at substantially a right-angle to the bottom portion along the hinge line, said blank also having a plurality of web portions respectively at the junctures of said hinge lines and said side wall portions, each of said web portions being folded along an outer surface of an adjacent side wall portion, said web portions being in pairs and with each pair being folded toward each other upon the outer surfaces of one of two opposite side walls whereby the web portions are positioned with the two pairs upon opposite sides of said tray, said blank also having a pair of additional side wall members integral respectively with the top edges of said opposite side walls whereby each additional side wall member extends along and between one of said pairs of web portions, each of said additional side wall members being folded downwardly along the outside of the side wall to which it is attached over and against its pair of web portions, and an adhesive coating which holds each of said web portions against its adjacent side wall and holds each of said additional side wall members against the exposed outer surfaces of its web portions and side Wall thereby to retain the adjacent side walls in upright position.

2. A tray construction as described in claim 1 wherein said adhesive coating -is a self-adhesive covering all of the surfaces of said side wall portions and said additional side wall portions and said web portions which contact each other when the tray is assembled.

3. A disposable tray construction formed from a cardboard blank having a coating of thin imperforate aluminum upon one surface which is impervious to liquid and which forms the inner surface of the tray, said blank having a bottom portion with side edges defined'by hinge lines and sidewall portions connected to said bot-tom portion along said hinge lines whereby each side wall portion is folded upwardly at substantially a right angle to the bottom portion along the hinge lines, said blank also having a plurality of web portions respectively at the junctures of said hinge lines and side side wall portions, each of said web portions being folded along the outer surface of an adjacent side wall portion, said adjacent side wall portion being one of a pair of side wall portions which are disposed on opposite sides of said bottom portion, said blank also having a pair of additional side wall members, each of which is hinged to the top edge of one of said pair of oppositely disposed side wall portions along which are folded said web portions, each of said additional side wall members being folded down wardly over and against a pair of said web portions at the respective adjacent corners of the tray to provide a coated side wall surface for the tray, and a self-adhesive coating covering the coextensive surfaces of said additional side wall members and said pair of oppositely disposed side wall portions, said self-adhesive coating holding each of said web portions against said oppositely disposed side wall portions and holding each of said additional side wall members against said web portions and said oppositely disposed side wall portions thereby holding the adjacent side walls in upright position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 413,784 10/ 1889 Hotchkiss 229--31 641,722 1/1900 McCandless 22931 1,046,945 12/1912 Bauer et a1. 22931 1,965,138 7/1934 Dunlap 22931 2,781,159 2/1957 Copeman 22931 2,954,912 10/1960 Kaulfcld 2293.5

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

J. F. MCNULTY, D. F. NORTON, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A DISPOSABLE TRAY CONSTRUCTION FORMED FROM A CARDBOARD BLANK HAVING A COATING UPON ONE SURFACE WHICH IS IMPERVIOUS TO LIQUID AND WHICH FORMS THE INNER SURFACE OF THE TRAY, SAID BLANK HAVING A BOTTOM PORTION WITH SIDE EDGES DEFINED BY HINGE LINES AND SIDE WALL PORTIONS CONNECTED TO SAID BOTTOM PORTION ALONG SAID HINGE LINES WHEREBY EACH SIDE WALL PORTION IS FILDED UPWARDLY AT SUBSTANTIALLY A RIGHT-ANGLE TO THE BOTTOM PORTION ALONG THE HINGE LINE, SAID BLANK ALSO HAVING A PLURALITY OF WEB PORTIONS RESPECTIVELY AT THE JUNCTURES OF SAID HINGE LINES AND SAID SIDE WALL PORTIONS, EACH OF SAID WEB PORTIONS BEING FOLDED ALONG AN OUTER SURFACE OF AN ADJACENT SIDE WALL PORTION, SAID WEB PORTIONS BEING IN PAIRS AND WITH EACH PAIR BEING FOLDED TOWARD EACH OTHER UPON THE OUTER SURFACES OF ONE OF TWO OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS WHEREBY THE WEB PORTIONS ARE POSITIONED WITH THE TWO PAIRS UPON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID TRAY, SAID BLANK ALSO HAVING A PAIR OF ADDITIONAL SIDE WALL MEMBERS INTEGRAL RESPECTIVELY WITH THE TOP EDGES OF SAID OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS WHEREBY EACH ADDITIONAL SIDE WALL MEMBER EXTENDS ALONG AND BETWEEN ONE OF SAID PAIRS OF WEB PORTIONS, EACH OF SAID ADDITIONAL SIDE WALL MEMBERS BEING FOLDED DOWNWARDLY ALONG THE OUTSIDE OF THE SIDE WALL TO WHICH IT IS ATTACHED OVER ABD AGAINST ITS PAIR OF WEB PORTIONS, AND AN ADHESIVE COATING WHICH HOLDS EACH OF SAID WEB PORTIONS AGAINST ITS ADJACENT SIDE WALL AND HOLDS EACH OF SAID ADDITIONAL SIDE WALL MEMBERS AGAINST THE EXPOSED OUTER SURFACES OF ITS WEB PORTIONS AND SIDE WALL THEREBY TO RETAIN THE ADJACENT SIDE WALLS IN UPRIGHT POSITION. 